


all the silly things we hide / just to keep our peace of mind

by ScreechTheMighty



Series: Talk Some Sense To Me [8]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: ADHD!Mirage, Brief appearance by Evelyn Witt also, F/M, First Date, Fluff, Headcanon, Not Canon Compliant, Picnics, Some Swearing, author knows nothing about fashion but I'm trying, feat. the author calling herself out about the melodrama of last time, fic canon confirmed: wraith's type is "himbo", latino!Mirage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26225917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScreechTheMighty/pseuds/ScreechTheMighty
Summary: It's taken a lot of pain and repressed feelings to get to this point. Hopefully, it's worth the wait. (AKA a Miraith first date fic.)
Relationships: Mirage | Elliott Witt/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Series: Talk Some Sense To Me [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1370614
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	all the silly things we hide / just to keep our peace of mind

**Author's Note:**

> *looks at what's happening in the canon, steps backwards into my portal to the Elliott J. timeline* Anyways. (Also, this will make a lot more sense if you've read "caught between forever and nothing at all"...really if you've read all the fics in the "Talk Some Sense to Me" series but that one is absolutely essential.)

Her off-compound apartment was dusty, unkempt, and noticeably unlived in. More importantly, it was completely devoid of clothing.

Wraith should’ve seen that coming. She only had a handful of outfits to her name, all practical clothes, and she typically carted them around from living space to living space. That had suited her fine in the past, but tomorrow…she had a _date._

_I have a date._

_I’m going on a date with Elliott._

It still hadn’t sunk in entirely.

He still hadn’t said where they were going, except that it would be outside, private, and not too formal. She probably could’ve worn whatever she had that was cleanest, but she wanted to look… _nice_. Not just for his sake. If she was going to go on a date with Elliott, after all the emotional repression and drama they’d had to go through to get there, she wanted the full experience. And that included looking nice.

She did have a dress, somewhere—something that had been bought for her for the one formal press event she’d been to. The dress had not been something she’d pick for herself, and far too formal for her date, so that was out. That meant if she wanted to wear something that wasn’t her usual clothes, she’d have to go shopping.

Wraith grimaced. _Maybe I can just show up in my sweatpants?_

No. No, she wasn’t doing that.

_It’s just clothes shopping. How bad could it be?_

If the last time she went clothes shopping was any indication, _pretty bad_.

Wraith sighed and grabbed her bag. Might as well get it over with. She just hoped Elliott was having a easier time than her.

* * *

Of course he didn’t start panicking until the day before the damn date.

Honestly, Elliott had barely planned on what he wanted to do. He had a _general_ idea, for sure, but he needed specifics, and he needed them fast. The only thing he definitively was the location, and even that involved some planning he hadn’t done yet because it wasn’t too far from his house and he was _pretty sure_ that a first date was too soon to meet the parent, but if Mom knew that he was nearby she _might_ want to poke her head in to finally meet one of Elliott’s team mates, not realizing that doing so would be probably the most mortifying thing in the entire galaxy…

_Calm the hell down, Witt. You’re not going to be able to make any decisions if you’re panicking._

That was logically true. Didn’t really help Elliott with the panicking, though.

He forced himself to take a deep breath and picked up his tablet. He needed a list. Lists were always good, right? They usually helped.

_What problems am I having right now?_

Location. Well, that was semi-sorted, aside from his mom. Of course, now that he thought about it logically and without the stress of _possibly introducing a new relationship to his mom too early_ shoved to the back of his mind, Elliott remembered that all he had to do was like... _tell Mom the truth_. She didn’t go out of her way to be embarrassing or anything. All he had to do was tell her and she wouldn’t be nosy.

Okay. Fully location sorted. What next?

The actual date. So, dinner, no drinks this time because...well, the last time they had drinks she ended up puking in his bathroom after accidentally expressing her feelings for him, so Elliott had a feeling she wouldn’t want to drink around him for the foreseeable future. He wasn’t sure he wanted to drink around _her_ for the foreseeable future, so, yeah, just dinner. He thought about cooking, but...no, that seemed like a lot of commitment for a first date.

Then again, with the number of times she’d saved his ass…

That was what made this relationship so weird. Pretty much every girl he’d dated before her was someone he hadn’t really gotten to know outside the confines of _dates_ and _being in a relationship._ He had seen Wraith almost die, several times. They’d saved each other, helped each other out. That definitely put them in a different position.

Still, he didn’t know how much overlap there was between _food she liked_ and _food he could cook._ So there was that. _But_ , he did know the takeout places she liked, and what her usual order was.

_Let’s go with that. Play it a bit safe._

What he should wear.

...good question. What _should_ he wear?

He ended up going to work on that one first. It was the one thing that was easy and most immediate, since his mom had gone off for a walk. _I wonder what Wraith’s going to wear_ , he thought distantly as he dug through his closet, suitcase, and assorted piles of clean laundry scattered around his room. He’d never seen her in anything other than her usual joggers and sweaters…well, that and the dress they’d made her wear during that formal press event. She had _not_ looked comfortable; some stylist had probably chosen it for her. Hell, a stylist had chosen _his_ outfit, and he was usually pretty good about dressing himself.

_Maybe she has a dress hidden away somewhere that she likes?_

Not going to lie: he was kind of excited to find out.

* * *

Even with a privacy mask, hat, and the least flashy outfit she owned, Wraith felt like people were staring at her. The voices were abnormally quiet, so Wraith assumed that no one was watching her for real. But the feeling still lingered.

She had never been in the shopping district; she’d never really had a reason to go. Since she didn’t know specifically what stores were there (or even what stores she’d like), she tried wandering from clothing shop to clothing shop, staring into the windows, trying to decide if the place was worth entering before she put herself through the emotional turmoil of actually going in and shopping. It seemed like pastels were in at the moment. The light purples she could see herself in, _maybe_ , but a lot of the dresses felt too…

Cute? Was that the right word? Point was, they didn’t feel like her. She might not have remembered clearly what her style was before, but she was _sure_ she’d know it when she saw it.

She’d know it, right?

Fortunately, before she started second-guessing that thought too much…

_Hello._

The shop window in front of her was a bit more of an eclectic mix—a few neons, a few of the more popular pastels—but it was the darker clothing to the left of the window that caught her attention. It was drapey, layered, more fashionable than she was used to wearing but still comfortable-looking. Even the skirts looked loose enough to walk in without many problems.

_Okay, you have my attention._

She stepped inside the shop, wincing as a chime above the door sounded off. No one really gave her a second glance. Still, Wraith tried her best to avoid the line of sight of any sales associates as she walked to the darker-colored clothing—blacks, grays, various jewel tones. She was afraid that she’d be approached but no one came over to ask if she needed help finding anything.

 _Good._ She didn’t need the scrutiny. Not she was slowly staring to realize that she didn’t really know how to style things. In the end, she simplified the matter by grabbing a black dress and various sweaters that might go with it.

The woman behind the counter didn’t bat an eye when Wraith asked for a dressing room. This store really was working out.

Wraith wasn’t so sure about the dress at first. It had short sleeves, and even with the shift in relationship between her and Elliott, she wasn’t sure she was ready for him to see the scars. Still, it had a high collar. Between a cardigan and a long-sleeve shirt underneath for extra security…

Wraith swished the dress experimentally. It _did_ feel nice. The skirt was a bit longer than she was used to, but not restrictive…would probably go with her boots, too… _and_ it had pockets.

Yeah. She liked it.

Wraith caught herself smiling as she smoothed down the skirt. Maybe this hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.

* * *

_we still good for 5?_

Elliott’s foot tapped nervously against the floor as he waited for a reply. Mom was in the kitchen making lunch. He could’ve cooked, but she insisted on doing it. Something about how he needed to rest; he didn’t argue with her about it. She’d been pretty freaked when she saw how beat up he really was. This was probably just her way of feeling like she could fix the situation.

“So, this is the girl from your team?”

“Yeah…” Elliott felt a little weird about revealing so much, but it was for the greater good. And besides, he hadn’t told her _everything_. He’d left out all the bits about Wraith’s tragic and mysterious past, obviously. All she needed to know was that it was Wraith he was going on a date with. “It’s just a first date. I don’t know if it’s going to go anywhere… _why_ are you smiling at me like that?”

Mom emerged from the kitchen with a plate of sandwiches and an _I knew it_ grin on her face. “I had a feeling,” she said as she put down the sandwiches, “based on how you talked about her before. She was either going to be your best friend for the rest of your life or you were going to marry her.”

“ _Mom!_ ” Wraith wasn’t even here to _hear_ that and Elliott kind of wanted to die. “I wouldn’t…it’s _literally_ our first date.”

“I know, I know…” She reached over to tousle his hair. “But just you watch.”

It was mortifying, sure, but also…weirdly comforting? She’d always been supportive of his girlfriends, but never _this_ optimistic. It might’ve been very Momma’s Boy of him to say, but it wasn’t often that his mom was wrong. “Well…” Elliott rubbed the back of his neck. “Irregardless. It’s not that I don’t want you to meet her ever, but it’s kind of a weird and tenuous time in the relationship and I don’t want to spook her…”

She held up a hand. “Say no more. I understand. But you do promise you’ll bring her by at some point, right? From what I understand, I owe her one for looking after my son.”

Oh, she owed Wraith more than one if that was the standards, but Elliott was sure Mom knew. “Yeah, definitely. Once she’s comfortable. She’s kind of…” His phone buzzed; he glanced at it, then did a double-take. “Hang on, that’s her, I’ve gotta…”

There wasn’t much to the text; just _Yeah, see you then._ That was still enough to make his heart race. Shit. This was really happening. “She’s been through a lot. It’s made her very private.”

“That’s understandable. Well, whenever she’s ready…” Mom her smile softened. “Relax, _mijo_.”

“What are you talking about? I’m totally relaxed.”

“You look nervous. Just be yourself. It will be great.”

 _Be yourself._ Right. Usually he’d say that was bad advice. That had been the center point of his whole mental breakdown about his crush on her. But it also seemed like the only way to go forward in this relationship, so… “I’m gonna,” he said, as nervous as that thought made him. “I mean, she’s definitely seen me at my worst. Not like it can get any lower than that.”

_Just keep telling yourself that, Elliott. Maybe that will help with the nerves._

He sure as hell hoped so. He wasn’t sure how he’d get through the date if it didn’t.

* * *

Wraith didn’t wear makeup much. She certainly knew how to, she just…didn’t, not unless she had to. She was too damn tired most of the time, and she was pretty sure there wasn’t an eyeliner out there that could really stand up to her current line of work.

But it turned out a lipstick she’d bought on a strange whim around Christmas, just to have something nice, went really well with the cardigan she’d bought. She didn’t have to impress Elliott, she knew, and she never thought that makeup made her _more_ attractive than she already was. But it would contribute to the _full date experience_ she was aiming for.

So. Makeup it was.

She had finished up the makeup and was putting up her hair (simple bun, she didn’t really have the know-how to do anything fancier and it was getting a bit too long to wear down) when she glanced out the window. She did a double-take when she realized that was Elliott’s car parked outside.

_Is it five already? Did I lose track of time?_

She looked at the clock. 4:50 p.m. Okay. Not late. He was early. She thought back to that moment when they confessed their feelings to each other, how Elliott’s nerves had lead him to combat his chronic tardiness by showing up early. It must’ve been the same this time.

Weirdly, that made her feel better. At least she wasn’t the only one who was nervous.

She adjusted her bun one last time, double-checked her eyeliner, and picked up her phone. _See you outside. You want to leave early?_

The reply came near-immediately: _yea ready when you are_

Wraith took a deep breath and checked herself in the mirror. The overall effect of the dress, the makeup, was…definitely different.. _She_ thought she looked pretty. Sure as hell looked better than she had when they shoved her in that cocktail dress and three layers of foundation. And if Elliott had told her on that roof that he thought she was beautiful when he’d only seen her in sweatpants or covered in blood…

She took a deep breath, picked up her bag, and walked out the door.

Elliott was leaning against his car. He was wearing one of his scarves over the injuries on his neck, a yellow button-up shirt with off-white stripes, similarly off-white pants. He did a double-take when he saw her, straightened up. “Oh, uh…hi.”

“Hi.” Good news: she didn’t think she’d gone any dressier than he did. That was a relief. “You got here early.”

“Y-yeah, worried about being late…” He was still staring. “I don’t…think I’ve ever seen you in a dress. Besides that…”

“Press event, yeah. I nearly burned that stupid thing.” She smiled a bit more sheepishly than she meant to. “Only held on to it because I figured it might be worth something.”

Elliott chuckled, a bit nervous, but still genuine. “Good point. It’s not too far a drive. Uh, you can pick the music.”

He held the door open for her. She noticed a picnic basket as she got in, along with what looked like a rolled-up blanket. _Picnic dinner. All right._ She couldn’t actually remember ever going on one. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise.” Elliott shot her a wink as he started the car. It was a bit shaky in comparison to his usual winks, but honestly? It was endearing. “You said _surprise me_ , right?”

“Fair enough.” She flipped on the radio, cycling through stations until she found a song she liked. Normally, she wouldn’t mind the silence, but she had a feeling Elliott needed noise more than she did.

They drove out of the city and into the less populated parts of the area. Elliott was silent at first, but spoke up suddenly: “So, uh, question…what are the chances Crypto is going to rat us out? Because he definitely knows…”

Wraith shook her head immediately. “He won’t. He minds his own business, for the most part. And he knows I carry a knife.” Elliott snorted. “Pathfinder won’t rat us out, either.”

“Wait, Pathfinder knows?!”

“He helped me film the video, remember? And he’s known for a while. After I got drunk that night he stayed with me to make sure I wasn’t sick. He wanted to know if I’d gotten drunk because I’d confessed to you and it hadn’t gone well. I guess I treat you differently and he noticed.”

“…huh.”

“Yeah and he said you smile at me when I’m not looking.” She glanced his way, smiling teasingly. “Do you smile at me when I’m not looking, Elliott?”

Elliott immediately looked embarrassed. “...I mean…sometimes. Yeah. In my defense, you’re very easy to smile at.”

She was starting to feel a bit embarrassed herself. No, maybe that was the wrong word; it was too pleasant to be embarrassment. “I’m pretty sure you’re the only person who thinks that. Well…except Path, but he’s easy to please.”

“Lots of people like you. Natalie likes you. Bangalore…respects you professionally, but that’s big for her. You somehow got Crypto to like you and I don’t think he likes anyone.”

“I guess.” Wraith looked out the window. It looked like they were on a private road; there was a house off in the distance. “Is this private property?”

“Yeah, but my name’s on the lease, so…I think we have permission.” He laughed a bit too hard at his own joke. “Uh, that’s where my mom lives, actually. Got the place after a few wins…better than the apartment we had before.”

“ _Oh_.” Now Wraith was looking with a bit more interest. It wasn’t too big, a little red cottage on slight stilts, but it looked nice. Homey, even. “This is where you go on weekends?”

“Yeah. Helps clear my head.” Elliott drove past the house, glancing once as if he could see into the windows. “Even if it’s a bit of a haul to get back to the Paradise for work, it’s worth it for the privacy.”

She imagined so. Hell, she’d get out of the city more if she had a place to go. As it was, there was a reason Wraith stayed in the Legends compound as much as possible. “It’s nice out here.”

“You haven’t even seen the best part yet.”

It wasn’t long before she saw what the _best part_ was. As he pulled the car over at the end of the private road, she could see the ocean just off in the distance. There was a bit of a breeze when she stepped out of the car but it was, otherwise, a near perfect temperature. “Damn,” she said quietly.

“Told you.” Elliott grabbed the picnic basket and blanket out of the backseat. “And since it’s all technically private property, we won’t have to worry about anyone.”

The thought brought her more relief than she thought it would. She had been worried about someone finding out about them. She wasn’t ashamed; it just wasn’t anyone’s business. No one had a _right_ to know, not the public, not her fans, not the reporters, not even the Syndicate.

Something this new, this delicate, deserved to be kept private.

Elliott set up the blanket and took out the food. It was takeout from everyone’s favorite Indian place close to the compound. Hers was the order she always got. Even though she knew she got the same thing every single time, she was still touched he remembered. They settled down on the blanket, and for a good minute, just looked at each other.

“…I’m gonna be honest,” Wraith admitted, “I have…no idea what we’d do now that’s any different from when we usually get dinner, so…”

Elliott laughed. She’d be offended, but it sounded more like a release of tension. “Shit…sorry, sorry, I’m not…laughing at you, it just hit me again…” He suddenly pulled off the neck scarf. The bruising had cleared up a lot, but she could still see the yellowish-greenish tinge to his skin, the smaller but still finger-shaped dark spots. “…usually the first date is for getting to know each other, but you _literally_ know my blood type, so…this is the first time I’ve gone out with someone I knew really well before. I’ve never done this before, either.”

Weirdly enough, that confession and the vulnerability of his bruising made her feel better.

“We’ll figure it out together.” She picked up her food and started eating. It seemed like as good a time as any to start. “What’s…something you _don’t_ know about me? Anything you want to know?” She knew a lot about Elliott, but definitely not everything. And there had to be _something_ he didn’t know that he’d been curious about.

“Uhm.” Elliott tapped his fork against the side of the take out container. “What do you…do for fun? When you’re not, y’know, with me or Pathfinder or fighting.”

“Hanging around you and Pathfinder is what I do for fun. I don’t…really have much else to do.” She shrugged, her gaze suddenly fixing on her food. “I don’t remember my hobbies, if I had any before. If I’m not working or with you, I’m usually asleep.”

“…oh.” Elliott immediately looked like he regretted asking. Wraith’s brain scrambled to think of a way to tell him that it was okay, she didn’t mind that he’d asked; before she could, he blurted out, “I mean, at least you haven’t turned hobbies into a money sink like I have. I had to put a moratorium on new hobbies since I kept just…forgetting and moving on to something else.”

Somehow, that made perfect sense with what she knew about Elliott. “What kind of hobbies?”

“Oh, uh, going all the way back to when I was a kid…model ships? Collecting pretty much anything, but especially those stupid blind pack toys. My _tio_ taught me to knit to help me sit still at the movies, and I got a bit _too_ into that for a while, but on the plus side, whoever ended up with my stuff at the school winter clothes drives benefitted. Uh…” His fork tapped harder. “Miniatures? Like, miniatures for strategy games and stuff. My brother Henry was into them and I got into them to bond, but he actually stuck with it. I think the only thing I’ve really stuck with was magic, and that’s because it’s good for flirting.”

Wraith’s eyes narrowed. _Wait._ “So, that time you did a card trick with me during our first season…that wasn’t just you showing off?”

Elliott’s face went pink. “Uh…full honesty, that was like…part flirting, part showing off, mostly me trying to impress you but like…platonically? I thought you were cool. I wanted you to like me in general…don’t really think I did much in my favor the first time around.”

Wraith thought about it, then shrugged. “You were awkward, but you held your own. That’s why I kept teaming up with you.” After another bite, she said, “So, knowing me, if I wanted to pick up a hobby..?”

“Knitting,” he answered without hesitation. “It really is calming. I’d offer to show you but it’s been a few years. I got rid of a lot of my stuff when we moved.”

Right, he was a transplant. She remembered him talking about that. “Where did you live before?”

“Harmony, actually.”

Wraith did a double-take. “Harmony? In Militia-controlled space? How’d you end up here?”

“My mom has family here. After, uhm…” She saw his face grow somber. “…after Christian died, she wanted to be closer to them. They came here during the Frontier Wars.”

That made sense. She’d heard similar stories. It was one of the only things that kept people coming here—that and trying to get away from IMC controlled space. They’d been _better_ than they had pre-Frontier War, apparently, but not good enough for some. “Surprised you can get along with Bangalore, all things considered.”

Elliott snorted quietly. “Oh, trust me, that’s only because she keeps her mouth shut most of the time. That and I know she could whoop my ass…not worth it over a political disagreement.”

“Fair enough.” Especially when there’d be the career ramifications. The Syndicate was _very_ strict in their _no fighting outside the arena_ rule. “I thought about heading for Frontier space early on, but…y’know, no papers, and they keep their borders pretty secure. The Outlands seemed as good a place to hide as any.”

“Yeah, the wild west vibe seems like it’d be a pretty good shield. What’s been your favorite spot so far?”

“Janus had nice weather, but here’s got better company.” She smiled at him softly. “So…Solace, by far. Though I feel like Talos could grow on me if we’re there long enough.”

Elliott smiled back. “Yeah, it’s kind of pretty when we’re not murdering each other. Not a fan of the lava, though.” He ate a bit more of his food. “So, uh…this is really the first date you’ve had in ten years? Is every guy you’ve met before me blind?”

Wraith ducked her head, a laugh escaping her lips. Now she was _definitely_ blushing. “No, no, there’s been interest. Just…only one person before you I’ve been interested in back. That was a couple years before I got to Solace.”

“ _Oh_? What was he like?”

“Honestly, a lot like you. Similar sense of humor.” He’d been a lot more confident than Elliott, but he’d also been the sort not to take things too seriously. “But he was blond, longer hair. He spoke German fluently.”

“Accent?”

“Yeah, kinda. We worked at the same shipping depot. He did a lot of heavy lifting.”

“He ask you out?”

“He’d ask me to hang out with him and his other friends a lot. I think he was working up to it, but everyone knew I was skittish, even back then. I think he was trying to avoid scaring me. I moved away before he could. Maybe in another time and place he asked in time…” She shrugged. “But...I like how things turned out. I’m glad it’s with you.”

She didn’t miss the slight note of relief on Elliott’s face when she said that. “Think there’s another time and place where we admit to liking each other without me having to get choked half to death?” he joked.

Wraith laughed. “Probably. Maybe the same timeline where we don’t have to deal with Meathead at all.”

“Damn, wish that were us. Think he’ll show his face again?”

“Oh, I made it pretty clear what I’d do to him if he did.” It occurred to her, suddenly, that he didn’t know what she was talking about. “I…might’ve had a word with him while he was still in the hospital.”

“…was this a _threatening_ kind of word?”

“After what he did? Absolutely. Screw him.”

Elliott looked absolutely delighted. “See, this is why I think you’re so amazing.” The smile vanished off his face, replaced by a look of dread. “Uhm. Too much?”

Wraith shook her head. “No, not too much.” It was…kind of nice to hear. Usually, she’d think the attention was overwhelming, but…here, now? On a date? It was nice to feel appreciated. To feel appreciated by _him_ , especially after so long thinking something like this could never happen.

“Okay, good, because…I know you’re more private and stuff than me, so if I’m ever too much or anything like that, just let me know and I’ll dial it back. Okay?”

“Okay.” She soaked up the last of her meal with a piece of naan, still smiling. “You’ve done a pretty good job of that on your own, for the record. I appreciate it. Thank you.”

“No problem. Least I could do.” He finished up the last of his food as well. “Oh, hey, whenever you feel up to it, do you want to see something cool?”

“Of course.”

They gathered up the remnants of their dinner, stowed what they didn’t need in the car, and walked back to the beach. Somewhere along the way, a surge of bravery hit Wraith. She reached over and brushed the back of her hand against his. An invitation.

He understood, and took her hand carefully.

If it hadn’t felt like a date before, it definitely did now.

The sun was starting to set as they walked along the beach. It was a beautiful view. It was a side of Solace that she’d never seen before, and she was glad she was seeing it with him. “It’s a good thing we’re in low tide—I mean you can get there either way, but at high tide you’ve kind of got to slog through some water and I’ve tripped a few times…” He pointed up ahead with his free hand. “See up there?”

She did. The solid land to their left had risen up into a cliff side. She could see where the cliff jutted out closer to the water; as they approached, angling around to the front, she saw the entrance of a cave. The entrance was pretty big, at least twelve feet high. “How deep does it go?” she asked, curious.

“Not too far…well, not too far _now_. There’s a cave-in like, a kilometer down I think? Not sure how deep it goes behind that.” He pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight feature. “That’s not the cool part, though.”

They walked into the cave, Elliott leading the way while still keeping a hold of her hand. The walls went just as high as the entrance. The inside of the cave was hushed; she could hear waves behind them, but they were a distant sound now. “Watch out for the cans, sometimes people come in here to drink.” Elliott held up the flashlight to illuminate the walls. “I think… _yeah_ , there it is!”

Wraith stopped, her eyes widening. “ _Shit_ ,” she breathed.

The walls there were smooth, even smoother than the surf-battered rocks at the entrance to the cave—smooth, save for the carvings. She could just make them out by the light of Elliott’s phone. It looked like…stick figures, perhaps, tall figures moving among geometric shapes. “Where did these come from?” she asked.

“No one knows for sure, but they think it’s those aliens that left the ruins everywhere. There are other carvings like this other places. I think this one doesn’t get a lot of attention because…” He moved the phone to their right, showing how the carvings were cut off by the cave-in. “…there are complete carvings other places, so this is small potatoes in comparison. But I think they’re pretty cool.” Wraith nodded in agreement. “And I don’t just show any girl the weird alien carvings in my backyard, so you should be doubly honored.”

Wraith laughed. The sound echoed in the space, quickly joined by Elliott’s own laughter. “I definitely am,” she said. “Definitely.”

They walked out of the cave in comfortable silence, still hand-in-hand. The sky was starting to darken outside, the moon and stars coming out. “This has been great,” Wraith said. “Really, but…I have a doctor’s appointment early tomorrow, so…”

“Actually, I do, too,” Elliott admitted. “Should be my last one, assuming the bruising is still going down at a good rate. You?”

“Same. Just checking on my lungs.” She hadn’t been feeling any worse, so she assumed things were getting better. “They’ll probably want to double-check before I start matches up again on Talos, whenever I go back. How long were you planning on staying?”

“Eh, through next weekend? I really think I could use the break. And Mom likes having me around after how badly everything went.”

 _Understandable._ “I get that. Maybe we can go on another date here before we head back.”

“…you want to…?”

Wraith looked at him. He looked different in the light of the mostly-set sun. Golden, almost. “Yeah,” she said. “I told you. This has been great. I’ve had a really good time.

It took him a second to process what she’d said. When he did, the smile on his face was…stunning. Relieved. Happy.

She wanted to see that smile again.

“Okay,” he said. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Good.”

They spent the rest of the walk and the drive back to her place mostly in companionable silence, only punctuated by brief exchanges about who they thought would win the next match. She almost told him to take another lap around the block when they got back to her place, because it was just so… _comfortable._ So warm, like the dreams she’d had before.

But she did have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, and she needed to sleep, and the night had to end at some point. So, instead, she gave him one last smile, one quiet _goodnight_ and got out of the car.

When she glanced back over her shoulder on her way in the building, he was still sitting there, watching her go inside. He waved; she waved back.

She didn’t realize how much she was smiling until she was in her apartment and caught a glimpse of herself. She looked really happy.

That had been nice. It had been… _really_ nice. And after everything they’d been through to get to that point, after all her concerns, even leading up to that date, it was a relief.

It felt like a good sign. She might not be able to see all the way down the road they were on, but if this night was any indication?

It was going to be a good one.

* * *

First thing he did when he got home was flop onto the sofa and cover his face. “ _Shit_ ,” he muttered. He was smiling when he pulled his hands away, a mixture of relief and happiness shooting through him. “Oh, shit, that actually went well.”

He wasn’t sure why he was so surprised. First date was usually the easiest one, when the relationship was still new and exciting. Still, he’d had a few… _really_ cringey first dates. There was enough awkward small talk, bad flirting, and girls bailing on him when he got up to go to the bathroom that he’d been kind of terrified about this date. He just hadn’t realized it until he’d seen her there, wearing a dress, smiling at him. It was a miracle he’d kept it together…that could’ve gone _so badly._

Y’know what? Screw it, he wasn’t gonna let his brain follow that too long. It had gone great, she’d enjoyed herself, he hadn’t been a major idiot at any point, that had been a _good_ night. He’d looked good. Wraith had looked…honestly the prettiest he’d seen her to date, which was great for more than just the obvious reasons. She’d looked so…relaxed.

He thought about the woman who’d first pointed a knife at him in King’s Canyon, wound tight like a spring, looking at him and everyone and everything with distrust in her eyes. She’d been opening up divorced from him, definitely—Natalie and Pathfinder had contributed a lot—but he never thought she’d see her open up like that, in _this_ kind of context.

_I need to find more cool rock carvings to show her, **damn.**_

It had gone really well. And he had a good feeling about it. It wasn’t often that he had those, especially after the string of bad luck he’d had with relationships.

Maybe this would be the one that worked out.

Maybe.

Even in these early days, Elliott knew if ever he wanted a relationship to work out, he _really_ wanted it to be with her.

**Author's Note:**

> Fashion reference! Wraith is in [this dress](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/de/76/4f/de764f0743cc73126729db802f0c256a.jpg) but with a mockneck and a cardigan [like this](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/68/f8/0e/68f80ef0ea632def6d08a4047e0cab20.jpg), but kind of a deep purple. Meanwhile picture Elliott in something [like this](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/d0/9b/08/d09b0880ca227a97afcb23d7341ad812.jpg) but with [this](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/59/79/20/597920e3e60d6c98b169b66ebbf58474.jpg) shirt.
> 
> I'm actually going to take a few steps BACKWARD in the timeline and start my "fics I need to write" list from the top...that means some Lifetane up next and then moving on to pre-romance Miraith. Also, my Titanfall fic, all of that desperately needs to be worked on.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as screechthemighty for general blogging and periodic (LBR, weekly) discourse and respawncinematicuniverse for my usual blogging. Title from "Lost in You" by khai dreams.


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